


Loosen Up

by Agwen



Series: Ghost Hunt Spa Fics [2]
Category: Ghost Hunt
Genre: Awkward Romance, Chaptered, F/M, Ghost Hunt Prompt Challenge, Humor, M/M, Multi, OT3, Post-Series, Prompt Fic
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2017-04-16
Updated: 2017-10-19
Packaged: 2018-10-15 06:05:51
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 4
Words: 13,251
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/10551338
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Agwen/pseuds/Agwen
Summary: Naru makes an outrageous request. "Mai, give me a..."





	1. Loosen Up

**Author's Note:**

  * In response to a prompt by Anonymous in the [ghosthunt_challenge2](https://archiveofourown.org/collections/ghosthunt_challenge2) collection. 



> **Prompt:**  
>  liberosis  
> n. the desire to care less about things—to loosen your grip on your life, to stop glancing behind you every few steps, afraid that someone will snatch it from you before you reach the end zone—rather to hold your life loosely and playfully, like a volleyball, keeping it in the air, with only quick fleeting interventions, bouncing freely in the hands of trusted friends, always in play.

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Naru makes an outrageous request: "Mai, give me a..."

Naru stared wearily at the screen in front of him. Then he rose from his chair, put his arms behind his head, and stretched his sore muscles. After a few seconds, he dropped his arms loosely back to his sides.

He sighed. _This won’t do._

He turned and looked at the mirror image in the window behind him.

His baggy eyes weren’t doing much good to his looks.

_(You work too much, Idiot Scientist. Loosen up for once.)_

Gene told him that through the mirror in the last case.

Naru frowned.

Yes, he did work a lot. He worked much more compared to his lazy (and dead) brother. Rather than lazing around like Gene did, Naru preferred being productive. …But what did Gene mean by 'loosen up'?

This required some investigation.

Naru sat back in his chair and searched for the definition on google.

> **_loosen up_ **
> 
> _phrasal verb of loosen. 1. relax one's muscles before taking exercise. "arrive early to loosen up and hit some practice shots"; become mentally relaxed. "they taught me to have fun and loosen up"_
> 
> _synonyms: relax, become relaxed, unwind, ease up/off, become less rigid; informal let up, hang loose, lighten up, go easy_
> 
> _"you need to loosen up, get rid of some inhibitions"_

He stared at the last sentence.

“…Get rid of some inhibitions.”

Naru widened his eyes. He was reminded of something that Mai offered to do some time ago. 

Yes, he could make her do _that_.

* * *

When the boss entered the main room, Yasuhara sat up from the desk.

"Boss, a letter came for you."

Naru acknowledged his announcement with a light nod. Then he walked headed into the direction of the kitchenette.

Yasuhara followed him with his eyes.

He expected the boss to say something to the person washing a so-called ‘mountain of teacups’ in the kitchenette. Yasuhara rose to help his co-worker since none of the tea cups were currently dry.

_Surely the boss will request another cup of –_

"Mai, give me a massage."

Yasuhara halted. He had expected a request for a cup of tea, but not _this_.

By the sound of a mild crash in the kitchenette, the requestee had promptly dropped the cup she was holding.

She started sputtering.

"Huh… _HUH_?"

"Don't ‘huh’ me, Mai. You are to finish your current task and give me a shoulder massage," Naru said in a monotone voice, and after a pause he added: “I'll be waiting at the sofa.”

“Eèhhhhhh?!?”

Naru ignored Mai’s exclamation and turned to look at a gaping Yasuhara by the reception desk.

"Yasuhara-san, please read the letter out loud while Mai gives me a massage."

His tone was low and steady. Naru did not seem to think of this as an odd occurrence.

Yasuhara recovered with a small smile.

"O-of course..."

Mai came out of hiding with a wary look on her face. A faint blush had crept on her face.

“Yasuhara-san.”

“Hm?”

She whispered, "Um, what’s going on? Why does he want a massage?"

Before he could respond to her, Naru’s voice cut in.

"Mai! Quit dawdling."

Her face reddened even more.

Mai made a small shake of the head and yelled: "Yes, yes. I'm coming!"

She stalked into the main room at once.

By the time Yasuhara sat down on the couch opposite of the boss, Mai's face had turned completely red. She stood behind Naru and nervously looked down at him.

Yasuhara twitched the corners of his lips into a faint smile.

_Cute._

Unfortunately for him, Mai noticed his amused expression.

"Yasuhara-san, stop making that face," she pouted. "This isn't for your amusement."

He chose not to say anything and merely smiled. Mai groaned and leaned forward to talk to the boss.

"Naru. I know I once offered you a massage, but I was just _kidding_.”

“I don’t care.”

“This isn't part of the job description."

"For today it is."

"That's not-"

"You can go home an hour earlier in exchange."

"Geh..."

Yasuhara couldn’t help but smile. _Ah, so easily baited._

“But is this really okay?” Mai said. Her fingers twitched and hesitated above his shoulders.

Naru barely rolled his eyes.

“If it wasn’t I wouldn’t have asked,” he said.

After Mai put her hands reluctantly on his shoulders, Naru looked at Yasuhara. “The letter."

Yasuhara cleared his throat.

“Well then, here I go.”

He stared down at the handwritten letter in his hands.

" _Dear esteemed members of Shibuya Psychic Research,_

 _I inherited a house with a barn somewhere in the countryside of Aomori. I started to live there with my family since a few months ago. The barn is right next to the toilet of our house. My husband regularly goes to the toilet at night and reports hearing strange noises from the barn. As far as we know it happens every Wednesday night. We thought it might be an animal, but we only keep goats there, and goats normally do not make such noises… But then the strangest thing happened: A goat disappeared! I find it very -_ "

"Unsatisfying."

Yasuhara looked up from the letter.

 _That was fast_.

“…Um, do you want me to throw this away already?”

Naru shook his head.

“No, I was referring to the massage.”

Mai pulled her hands away at that very instant.

"What."

Naru folded his arms.

"Do I need to repeat myself?"

"No…? But what _exactly_ is unsatisfying about my massage?"

"Everything."

Mai blew up in anger.

"Naru!"

Yasuhara snorted.

It seemed like boss wasn't going to explain it in detail. In other words, he was too lazy to explain it to her.

"Well. This is the first time I'm massaging someone, so this is what you get!” Mai said, stomping a foot against the floor. “If you won’t tell me what’s wrong, I’ll never improve!"

As expected, Naru gave in after her retort.

"…I can hardly feel your massage."

Yasuhara held up a hand and suggested: "Taniyama-san, you have to _knead_ his shoulders."

Mai raised an eyebrow.

"Um, okay then..."

"Go on," Naru said.

Mai lowered her hands again and Yasuhara continued reading.

" _I find it very regrettable that such a thing happened. To add to this, the goats behave strangely. It’s frightening to go to the toilet, because we-"_

“Don’t do that!”

Yasuhara stopped reading at the sudden outburst of his boss. Mai threw up her hands in the air.

Naru turned to look at Mai.

"Mai, I asked for a massage, not a _torture_ session."

“But Yasuhara-san told me to knead-“

“Then don’t dig your fing –“ Naru abruptly stopped speaking and looked away, seeming to remember the fact that Mai did not have much practice. “Never mind.”

“S-Sorry. I overdid it a little,” Mai admitted. She lowered her hands to her side, and looked away.

Naru scratched the back of his head.

“Make me a cup of tea."

Mai blinked. “Huh?”

“Tea, please.”

The confusion on her face turned into a frown.

Finally, she huffed.

"Okay, fine."

Yasuhara watched as Mai stalked away to the kitchenette.

If boss sent her away, it meant that the massage had ended. The situation would turn less interesting than expected. Mai would probably feel sad after this, and none of the people in the office liked seeing her sad. Yasuhara considered his options.

 _Hmm_ , he thought as he stared at his boss, _I should play this situation right into my hands._

Suppressing a grin, Yasuhara said: "…If you want I can massage you, Boss?"

Naru raised an eyebrow.

“…I’m used to massaging my father,” Yasuhara explained.

This seemed to do a trick, because after a moment of contemplation Naru said: "I’ll take up your offer."

Yasuhara got up and left the letter on the table.

Mai returned at that moment. Her eyes bulged when she spotted Yasuhara behind their boss.

"Eh? Is Yasuhara-san taking my place?"

She sounded a little disappointed.

Naru merely said, "Mai, read the letter out loud."

Mai placed the cup of tea roughly in front of him. Tea splattered on the table. She obviously wasn't pleased about being tossed aside. Yasuhara could only muster an apologetic smile.

"Hmph."

Naru frowned and took the cup of tea in his hand.

“Where did you stop reading?” Mai said as she scanned the letter.

“…It’s frightening to go to the toilet, because we don’t do that,” Yasuhara answered as he put his hands on Naru’s shoulders. He began to knead Naru’s left shoulder gently; it was tense. His hands slowly worked their way to the neck.

“It’s frightening to go to the toilet, because –” Mai knit her eyebrows together at a grinning Yasuhara. “ _Because we keep hearing noises there. I started yelling because the noises were too loud. At that time, I caught two white figures in the mist escaping from the barn. I called my husband and started to_ –”

Mai stopped when the boss let out an audible sigh.

"Naru, are you even listening?"

He waved a loose hand.

"Go on, Mai." Naru said and took another sip from his heavenly cup of tea.

“ _I called my husband and started to chase them. Once we reached our neighbours’ house we lost track of them. They had completely disappeared. That’s when I started to believe that ghosts might be visiting our barn and are possessing our goats…_ ”

Naru placed the half-full cup of tea back on the table, prompting Mai to look at his satisfied face.

Yasuhara changed his focus to the right shoulder.

"Geez, look at him." Mai said, "How did you get so good at this, Yasuhara-san?"

"Well, my mother taught me all the essential life skills...." Yasuhara lowered his voice. "To please a partner."

"Huh, really..." Mai muttered absent-mindedly.

But Naru coughed below him, obviously having heard the last part.

A devious smile graced his lips.

“Well, go on Taniyama-san.”

Mai ignored Yasuhara.

"Naru, why are you hiding your face from me?"

"It's because I'm good at making him feel relaxed."

"Focus on the letter, Mai."

"What did you say to him, Yasuhara-san?"

"Why, Taniyama-san. Could you possibly be jealous that I am able to satisfy our boss, and you cannot?"

"I'm not-"

It took Mai a second to process the double meaning of that statement.

"Yasuhara-san!"

"If you don't want him, I'll keep him."

Mai slapped the letter against her knee.

"You- you, you snatched my position away while I was in the kitchen! It isn’t fair!"

"You're really eager to please, huh. I'll give you that."

"Yasuhara-saaan. You're going too far," Mai groaned.

Naru was losing his patience.

"The letter, Mai."

"Ugh… _We visited our neighbours the next morning and asked whether they saw something strange. They said they hadn’t. Please, we are at our wit’s end. Help us find our goat and exorcise the possessed goats!_ "

Mai rolled her eyes.

“Throw the letter away. I’m not a goat hunter.”

She put the letter back into the envelope and placed it on the table.

Mai glanced at Yasuhara’s hands which were currently massaging near the base of Naru's neck.

Naru noticed her stare.

"What is it?"

"No, I was just wondering… you really seem to be enjoying this. Does it feel that good?"

"You never had a massage?" Naru asked.

"It's more like, I never asked for one."

Mai looked down with a sad face.

"Hm."

She quickly recovered though, having sensed the awkward atmosphere.

“Oh, never mind me. What should I do next? I finished all of my tasks today.”

Yasuhara quietly stared at her as a weak smile turned up on her face.

_This wasn’t supposed to happen._

He let out a breath.

"How about it, Boss? Still want to give Taniyama-san a chance? Or would you rather have me?"

Naru paused.

"Give her a massage, Yasuhara-san."

"Eh, really?" Mai’s eyes widened.

"If Yasuhara-san wants to," Naru said as he took his cup of tea and sipped again.

Yasuhara smiled primly.

"Why, of course."

Mai looked a little alarmed at this statement. “Um sure, but… don't think anything perverted okay? I know how you looked at Naru."

"How?"

"Like a beast."

Yasuhara laughed.

“Haha, I did think it would be better if he took off his shirt, but I’m afraid it’s improper in office setting.”

Mai’s face reddened at the thought.

“I knew it.”

Naru used this moment to leave the sofa and took the cup to the kitchenette.

"Come here, Taniyama-san, and learn."

She hesitantly moved to sit in front of Yasuhara and let him do the work.

The massage seemed to work wonders because after a few seconds Mai already exclaimed:

"Whoa, this is really good!"

“Right?”

She continued to make content noises as Yasuhara-san massaged her shoulders.

When Naru was about to re-enter his office, Mai called out: "Hey Naru, can I still go home an hour earlier or not?"

He looked back at her.

"Massage Yasuhara-san and then the two of you can leave."

“Yes boss.” His employees said simultaneously.

Then Naru closed the door behind him.

After a while, Mai said: "Hey, Yasuhara-san? Don't you think Naru got away too easily? He didn't give us a massage."

Yasuhara looked at Mai. She was right.

An idea started to form in his head.

“…What if we slip out of the office right now?”

She frowned at his suggestion.

“But wasn’t I supposed to give you a massage?”

“Weellll…” He stared at the ceiling and loudly proclaimed. “We can go on a date first, and after I take you home you can give me a backrub. How about it?”

“Yasuhara-san!”

Mai blushed red.

“Why not? I can give you a backrub too. The shoulder massage I just gave you was only a fraction of what I’m capable of.”

“Seriously?” Mai widened her eyes.

The door of Naru’s office suddenly slammed open. Mai nearly jumped out of her skin.

Naru stood there with wild eyes.

Mai held her breath. She was obviously panicking, but Yasuhara remained calm.

“Only a fraction?” Naru said, eyeing him with a serious expression.

“Well…” Yasuhara started.

Suddenly, Mai got up and went to stand in between them.

“Oh no. Yasuhara-san was just teasing me about giving each other backrubs. Hahaha-” She said, laughing it off.

“I wasn’t teasing,” Yasuhara said with a blank expression.

“No no no, Yasuhara-san and I are only going on a date, right?” Mai said, grabbing Yasuhara’s arm and linking it into hers.

Yasuhara raised an eyebrow.

“But after that I was going to take her home, then we’ll give each other some nice backrubs, and –“

“I want a backrub too,” Naru interrupted.

Mai glared at him and started dragging Yasuhara to the exit.

“You can’t have him, Naru! Don’t even think about it!” She yelled. “Yasuhara-san is going to make me an apprentice. I need lots of backrubs to get it right!”

He snorted.

“You can’t simply take him for yourself. He’s my employee.”

Naru closed the door behind him and stepped forward.

“I’m coming with you.”

Mai fumed.

“Yasuhara-san asked ME on a DATE. Not you. Even if you’re our boss I can’t let you ruin our date!”

Yasuhara laughed heartily.

“But I don’t mind if boss comes with us on the date~ The more the merrier.”

She groaned.

“Yasuhara-saaan. You’re not helping me.”

“Well, I only help myself,” Yasuhara said as he took Naru’s arm with his free arm.

Naru smirked down at Mai.

“Well, do you have anything to say to that, miss apprentice?”

Mai stuck a tongue out at him.

“Then promise us to give both me and Yasuhara-san a backrub.”

Naru raised an eyebrow at Mai and then turned to look at his other employee.

Yasuhara innocently blinked at him.

“Well?” Mai prompted.

Naru sighed.

“…I can’t promise it will be any good.”

Yasuhara grinned.

“Oh, I’ll be sure to give some pointers. …Though we’ll have to take off our shirts this time. It feels much better.”

Yasuhara winked at a fiery red Mai.

“Right, Taniyama-san?”

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> The idea came from a scene in the Ghost Hunt sequel Akumu no sumu ie: 
> 
> Naru returns to Japan after less than 2 months in England. He immediately begins to scold Mai because he's too tired to take a request on the same day of arrival. Then Mai offers him to read the request out loud while he's resting, or have Yasuhara read while Mai gives him a massage... 
> 
> I ruminated the idea since the beginning of the year. The result is this abomination.


	2. Dinner Date Confessions

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Mai is highly distracted by Naru's presence at the dinner date, but then Naru confesses... What will Mai do?

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Due to an unexpected positive response I decided to turn the one shot into a three-parter. I may turn the fic into a one shot collection after the third part. It will then be updated whenever I feel like it. This means the ratings and genres might change over time.

A rucksack was strapped on Mai’s back, filled with spare clothes and toiletries.

She fidgeted as she stared into the direction of the train station. Still no sign of Yasuhara.

Mai sighed and briefly glanced to the other side. Naru stood next to her with his arms crossed, wearing a bag over his shoulder.

They were waiting in front of a small and inexpensive Western restaurant outside Shibuya, somewhere near Yasuhara’s apartment.

Currently, Yasuhara himself was nowhere to be seen. Mai did receive a text from him five minutes earlier. It informed her that he would run a couple of minutes late due to an errand. When she got here, Mai found Naru already waiting in front of the restaurant.

“Did you get Yasuhara-san’s text?”

He had returned a brief reply: “Yes.”

Then Mai stood next to him, not knowing what else to say. As expected, Naru himself didn’t bother making small talk. Therefore, the next minute was spent in awkward silence. At one point, a waiter invited them in, mistaking them for a couple, but Mai politely explained they were waiting for a third person.

No, they were not a couple. They had a relationship of an employer and employee, and while on good terms, they were friends at most. …Though the latter had turned questionable over the last couple of hours.

Mai looked down the road again. Yasuhara was still nowhere to be seen, but she hoped that he would come soon. The atmosphere was awkward enough.

However, Naru didn’t seem as bothered like she was. Though he looked rather tired rather than confident.

Mai frowned slightly. Why did Naru insist on coming along with them?

Her frown deepened.

_Could he possibly be…?_

Mai shook her head a little.

She didn’t want to assume, but… _still_. It was questionable enough that she started worrying about the future of their relationship.

After all, the relationship she had with Naru seemed too brittle to survive a potential love triangle.

Mai recalled the conversation by the lake in the summer of last year, when it became clear to her that she did not love Naru. She had hoped that Naru would eventually smile at her like in her dreams, but… the boy in her dreams turned out to be an entirely different person: Gene. She had liked Gene… She had been attracted to the kind smile on Gene’s face. Mai liked that kindness. But she gradually realized that she didn’t know much about Gene after all. Going by how Madoka, Lin and Naru spoke about him, Gene seemed to have had sides that he never showed when they talked in her dreams.

So how could she say that she liked Gene for who he was?

Or rather, what she had liked was a fantasy of Gene.

She fell in love on her own. _In love with a fantasy_.

Suddenly, running footsteps into their direction took Mai out of her thoughts. A voice called out.

“Shibuya-san! Taniyama-san!”

Mai turned her head.

“Ah, Yasuhara-san.”

Yasuhara stopped in front of them.

“I’m sorry. Have I kept you waiting for too long?” He said, catching his breath.

Mai shook her head.

“Not at all!”

“Okay then, let’s go in,” Yasuhara said.

Mai and Naru followed him into the restaurant. It was rather spacey and cosy. Most tables were filled with people of college student age.

A waiter greeted and guided them to a free table in the back near a window. Naru sat down. Mai and Yasuhara took the seat opposite him. They stared down at the drink menus placed in front of them. Naru decided quickly; tea, of course. On the other hand, Yasuhara seemed to be in an adventurous mood and took longer on his decision.

Mai blankly stared at the drink menu, completely lost in thought.

Over the past months, she gradually untangled the confusion in her head. Mai came to the realization that she couldn’t get stuck in this situation for the rest of her life. There was no point in waiting in an afterlife with Gene. She still had a life to live! No matter how hard it would be, she would put the painful matter of Gene behind her. The fantasy was over.

Mai had vowed to fall in love with someone new – a _real_ person.

“Taniyama-san, have you decided on your drink?”

Mai blinked and found both young men staring at her.

“I…”

“…You were giving the menu an intense stare of death. It’s kind of scary,” Yasuhara said in an amused tone.

“She’s daydreaming,” Naru muttered.

Mai huffed.

“I wasn’t daydreaming!”

Naru sighed.

“Then give the waiter your answer.”

Mai turned her head. The waiter stood there with an awkward smile.

“Oh! Uh, I’m sorry… I’ll take the, uhh, the matcha latte, please!”

“Black tea.”

“I’ll have the rooibos ginger tea.”

As the waiter left, Mai frowned at Yasuhara’s choice.

“That’s kind of ordinary. I thought you were going pick something else.”

He shrugged.

“Unfortunately all the good ones on the menu are alcoholic,” Yasuhara said. “I can’t wait until I turn twenty next year!”

Mai sighed. Alcoholic drinks weren’t very high on her priority list so she couldn’t share that sentiment.

“Okay, let’s pick our food now,” she said, grabbing the other menu card on the table.

“Choose whatever you want,” Yasuhara said.

“Huh?”

“I’ll pay for the three of us.”

“Eh? No, seriously. Let’s just split the bill!”

“I invited you guys on a date. Please let me –“

“But Naru invited himself on our date!“

Naru shrugged.

“Let Yasuhara-san pay for us.”

Yasuhara laughed. “Two against one. I’ll pay.”

Mai groaned and unfolded the menu card.

The menu conveniently contained a section with vegetarian dishes.

_This is why…_

She secretly glanced at the person beside her.

It seemed like Yasuhara had wanted to take Naru out to this place since it had a nice variety of vegetarian dishes. Naru rarely ate out due to his dietary restrictions. It was a nice gesture by Yasuhara. However, Mai couldn’t help but have mixed feelings. Would Yasuhara have taken her to this restaurant if Naru wasn’t here?

After passing their choices to the waiter, Yasuhara explained the reason for his late arrival.

“I went out to buy some massage oil. Unfortunately, the nearest drug store was out of stock, so I had to run to a different one…”

Mai gulped.

Did that mean she – all three of them had to take their tops off?

A blush crept on her face.

Yasuhara had been serious about that after all. Sometimes it was hard to tell whether he was joking, but this time he seemed serious about the backrubs. What’s more, not only they were going to massage each other, but Yasuhara invited them to _sleep over_ at his apartment. For this reason, Naru and Mai went to their homes first to pick up their essentials. Mai felt quite nervous about the entire affair, but she couldn’t turn Yasuhara’s offer down. This was a chance and she had to grab it with her own two hands.

It had been a few months since she started to feel overly conscious of Yasuhara. Earlier on she had been blinded by the situation with Naru and Gene, but once she started looking at the other people surrounding her – Yasuhara stood out like a lightning bolt. Smart, good-looking, kind, responsible, and funny. Not even the most popular boys at her high school could compare to him. She could make a long list of things that she liked about him, and it wouldn’t end. At one point, she even wondered why Yasuhara didn’t have a significant other.

In short, Yasuhara Osamu was an excellent catch and she could repeatedly bang her head against the wall for not realizing it earlier on.

When this notion formed in her head, a whole weight came off her shoulders.

Could it be? Was she finally able to move on from Naru and Gene?

She stared at Naru.

Naru was talking to Yasuhara about something that had happened at the most recent case, but the words didn’t penetrate her mind.

The fact that Naru just crashed their date under the guise of ‘wanting a backrub’ didn’t help her to move on.

However, deep on the inside Mai was grateful that she wasn’t going to spend a night alone with Yasuhara. She wasn’t quite ready for any possible intimate events. But staying over with two guys could be called a sleepover. It’s not like it was the first time they slept in one room in a case due to certain horrifying circumstances…

“Taniyama-san, what’s the matter? You’ve been out of it for a while.”

“Eh?”

“You were giving the boss a death stare.”

“Uh, no. I didn’t.”

Naru took a sip from his cup of tea. Mai stared down and found her matcha latte already on the table.

Yasuhara chuckled.

“I thought you were plotting murderous revenge against him since he invited himself on our date.”

Mai shook her head at Yasuhara’s teasing.

“Geez. Why would I? Stop joking. I’m just a little tired and want to eat something.”

“Really?” Yasuhara said, and glanced into the back of the restaurant. “Ah, speaking of food, here come our dishes.”

Two waiters arrived and placed the dishes on the table.

Mai dug into her food.

It was only just now that she realized that she had barely eaten today. No wonder she kept zoning out.

If this had been a normal dinner date with Yasuhara, perhaps she would have behaved differently. More nervous? No way. Yasuhara would take care to make her feel at ease. Or perhaps they’d both be so embarrassed that they’d laugh it off at the end. As it is now, Mai didn’t know how to behave with Naru around. This obviously wasn’t a work dinner. This was entirely private. If it had been a different person, perhaps she would have politely told them off and begged Yasuhara to change his mind, but she quickly gave up on that.

The guilt inside of her made it difficult to face Naru. Their relationship was already in a vulnerable position. She never truly bothered to get to know Naru before the shocking revelation. Knowing that she liked the Gene in her dreams over Naru, made her realize that she didn’t like Naru for who he was. That much was clear. When he asked her whom she liked, she couldn’t reply. Deep inside, Mai knew that the answer was Gene. She had fallen in love with Gene’s kind smile, while mostly tolerating Naru’s presence in her daily life. Naru must have known the answer as well going by her lack of reply.

How could she even claim to like Naru after realizing such a thing? How must Naru have felt when she told him that she liked the ‘good personality’ over him? Mai didn’t know if he had any kind of feelings for her. Whether it was romantic, how unlikely it may be. Mai didn’t want to think about it.

For this reason, she felt uneasy that Yasuhara let Naru on their impromptu dinner date. Mai had wanted to look to the future and rebuild a new friendship with Naru. She wanted a friendship based on reality rather than a fantasy. No longer compare Naru to his twin. No longer hurt their relationship anymore.

But now they were thrown into an entirely new situation. And what will the outcome be for them in the end? Who would end up hurting the most?

“My idiotic brother told me to _loosen up_.”

Mai blinked at the unfamiliar English phrase.

“Eh?”

“ _Loosen up_ means ‘to relax’,” Naru explained.

“Ah, so that’s why you asked for a massage?” She said.

He narrowed his eyes at her.

“Yes, Yasuhara-san just asked me that question. You’re really daydreaming, aren’t you?”

Mai returned an innocent smile.

“No, I was just thinking about something.”

“About what?” Yasuhara asked.

“Nothing that concerns the two of you.”

The young men snorted.

“What?” Mai said, frowning.

Yasuhara chuckled.

“Ah, Taniyama-san. It’s written all over your face. You were thinking about the massage, didn’t you?”

“Well, uhh…”

“Don’t worry about it, Taniyama-san. If you don’t want to undress, you’re free to keep your shirt on. No one will be forced to do anything they don’t want to.”

Mai blushed at his words. Why did he have to bring that up in the middle of a restaurant? Someone could be listening! She quickly looked over her shoulder, but found no one at the neighbouring table.

She gazed back at him.

“That’s not really the problem here…”

“Oh? So you do prefer skin-on-skin contact?”

Mai felt her skin growing hot. The mere thought of his fingers touching her bare back…

Now she couldn’t help but be extremely aware of Yasuhara’s presence beside her.

“Yasuhara-san, Mai has an overactive imagination, if you remember. Please don’t stimulate it too much.”

Naru sent a smug grin into her direction.

“Naru!” Mai snapped.

Yasuhara laughed. “Haha, I’m sure it would turn anyone’s imagination wild. But… your fantasy will be a reality in a couple of hours.”

A wink appeared on his face.

Mai looked away from him. If she stared any longer at him, her face would turn redder than ever.

They quietly finished eating their food. The plates were empty at the end.

“I presume you liked it?” Yasuhara asked.

Naru nodded. “Yes.”

“Great! I was hoping you liked it. I’ve come here twice with my university friends.”

Mai turned to look at Yasuhara’s face.

Yasuhara continued to talk about how he discovered this place and recently started to use it for post-study session dinners. He looked happy, but slightly embarrassed as he spoke to Naru who quietly listened.

_Come to think of it, Yasuhara rarely talks about his university life…_

“Taniyama-san, how about you?”

“Huh?”

Mai blinked.

For some reason, she had been unable to keep her eyes off Yasuhara, and Yasuhara had noticed.

Out of the corner of her eyes she spotted a tiny grin on Naru’s lips.

_Damn him._

“How was the food?”

The food? She hadn’t even noticed the food.

“Um, yeah. It was great! Really tasty. See? My plate is empty too.”

It barely registered on her mind what she had eaten. All she could think of was Yasuhara’s earlier proposition of taking their shirts off during the massage session. How could she handle seeing them both half-naked? Touching their skin, and letting herself be touched… How in the world did she get into this situation?

Despite her awkwardness, Yasuhara smiled as usual.

“That’s great to hear.”

Just the usual smile. Somehow she felt disappointed. It wasn’t the same.

Mai wanted Yasuhara to smile the way he smiled to Naru. She liked that side of him. He was naturally confident and enthusiastic, but Mai liked the little more awkward and shy side of Yasuhara too.

Naru turned his face away from them and stared out of the window. He still looked a little tired, but rather content after eating a good dinner.

 _Beautiful. Like a painting_. Mai sighed. _Even better if he is topless._

The moment she caught herself with that thought, her face turned red.

At that moment, she felt a light breath against her ear.

“What are you thinking about?”

Mai turned to see Yasuhara leaning forward into her face. Her eyes widened at the proximity. She averted her eyes from his face and unintentionally stared at the skin between his neck and shoulder.

She pressed her eyes shut for a moment.

“N-Nothing!”

“Really?”

“Yes. Really.”

Mai opened an eye. Yasuhara quizzically stared at her.

“Hmm.”

He didn’t seem convinced.

Of course not. It was written all over her face that she had been thinking about them in various states of undress.

Suddenly, she felt his hand on her shoulder. Mai nearly jumped at the touch.

“Could you move aside, please? I need to go to the toilet.”

“Oh right.”

Mai moved away a little so that he could pass through. Yasuhara’s hip brushed against her own. She nearly shuddered at the contact, and promptly dropped back into her seat. Her heart raced. Naru’s curious gaze on her did not help. It felt invasive.

It couldn’t be helped. Her emotions were displayed for all to see. Yasuhara and Naru must have thought she’d gone mad.

Mai took a deep breath, trying to regain control of the situation.

“Is there something… Naru?”

“…No.”

He took a sip from his tea and put the cup back on the coaster. Empty, just like all the plates on the table.

Mai closed her eyes and willed herself to calm down. Ever since the very idea of seeing them half-naked entered her mind, she had become incredibly conscious of them. Especially Yasuhara. She had been attracted to Naru before, but Yasuhara succeeded in riling her up in a very sneaky way. Out of the blue. His shoulder massage was out of the world. It was wonderful. She longed for more touches – she desired _more_. How could a simple shoulder massage turn her on so much? Just now, when Yasuhara placed a hand on her shoulder, her body –

"Mai."

Naru had interrupted her thoughts.

"…Yes?"

She opened her eyes and found Naru gazing at her.

"You seem bothered by something."

A moment of silence passed.

"Yeah, I am bothered."

“I assume it concerns me,” Naru said as he circled his finger against the table.

_As usual._

“Well, yeah.” She let out a breath. "Okay, so... why did you decide to crash our date? And don't tell me you simply wanted a backrub."

Naru stared straight into her eyes with a half-amused smile on his lips.

"Because I like Yasuhara-san."

Mai's eyes widened.

_He’s not joking._

Her lips trembled until she formed more words.

"...So you like him in _that_ way?"

Naru stopped moving his finger and pulled it back to his side.

“What do you mean?”

“I mean, are you… in love with him?”

He turned his gaze to the window. It was only then that Mai noticed that the sky had turned dark.

“I suppose you could call it like that,” he replied.

Mai swallowed. He just confirmed her biggest worry.

“…Seriously?”

Naru looked back at her with an intense gaze. She couldn’t look away.

_Will we be able to stay friends?_

"Do I need to repeat myself?" He said, slightly irritated.

_Or do we become enemies?_

“No,” Mai said as she crumpled up a white paper towel.

She wanted Yasuhara, but she didn’t want to hurt Naru either.

In the end, one of them would have to keep distance.

"…No, it's just… surprising."

He leaned back against the seat.

"Why?"

"Well... You're so blunt about it. It’s unusual. People around here don’t talk about it casually."

Naru shrugged.

"I’m not from here though."

She sighed.

“Right.”

Mai pinched the bridge of her nose.

_It can’t be helped. I should tell him._

"But... that means we're rivals..."

Naru tilted his head.

"Rivals?"

Mai lowered her hands on the table and steadied herself.

_Well, here goes nothing._

"I like him too.”

Naru gazed at her and didn’t show any immediate reaction.

She continued, “He's great, funny, a good listener, easy to talk to ...and handsome. I mean, what's not to like about him?"

Mai blushed deeply at her own confession, but kept a hesitant eye on the other side of the table.

_How will he react?_

Naru smiled a little.

"I agree, but..."

"But what?"

"I don't think of us as rivals."

Mai blinked. “…What do you mean?”

He shrugged.

“I’m sure Yasuhara-san can explain it better than I do.”

She frowned at his vague answer. Why would Yasuhara…

A sudden thought entered her mind.

"Hey Naru, does Yasuhara-san know that you-"

She stopped talking when Naru's sideway glance alerted her to the presence next to her.

Mai froze when she looked up. Yasuhara stood there with a frown on his face. She panicked. How long had he been standing there? When did he start listening?

"Know what?" Yasuhara asked.

"No-nothing important!" She blurted out.

"It's not nothing if you react like that," Yasuhara pointed out.

Mai looked at Naru with pleading eyes.

"Naru? Please?"

Naru sighed and decided to put Mai out of her misery.

"The dinner is on me," he said.

"Yes, that. I was just making sure that you weren't going to pay for us. I mean, Naru is crashing our date! He should pay up. Two against one, right? Ahahaha!" Mai laughed nervously as regret filled her mind.

“Oh, so that’s the revenge you were plotting against our boss, huh,” Yasuhara said, impressed by her non-existent slyness. “Not bad, Taniyama-san!”

At that moment, Mai felt the cold glare of her boss bore into her soul.

_Crap._

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Writing this got me to think about the 'Naru rejected and abandoned Mai' trope. It's completely wrong. Allow me to explain.
> 
> Naru _never_ rejected Mai. He never told her about his own feelings. If anything, Mai rejected Naru. She told him that she would pick Gene, "the good personality", over Naru, "the bad personality". Secondly, Mai and Naru weren't even in a relationship, so you can't say she was ever abandoned. Naru's intention from the very beginning was to bring Gene's remains back to England, and Mai had nothing to do with it. How could anyone blame Naru for wanting to bring his brother's remains back home in England and resume life there? Mai isn't entirely faultless, she was the one who mistook Naru for his twin. She chose Gene over him, thereby rejecting Naru. She rejected Naru right after he found his brother's body. Isn't that inconsiderate? Anyway, Mai and Naru parted on friendly terms at the end of the series and reunited less than two months later in the sequel Akumu no sumu ie... No drama, no revenge. Just back to business.
> 
> Leaving that aside, I don't know if I did Mai's POV well. I usually try to avoid it, but it was essential to clarify her confusion amidst this massage affair. Her mind is a bit of a mess after all. Unfortunately, the chapter was very introspective, so some of the funny got lost. But rest assured, the humor will be back in the third part! Let me know what you thought about the chapter, or tell me how much you (dis)agree with my rant. :P


	3. Step on Me, Boss!

Naru closed the door behind him. He undid his shoes in the hallway and put them between Yasuhara’s polished brown dress shoes and Mai’s well-worn red sneakers. He took a moment to examine the view in front of him.

Most of the time, Mai came to the office or the investigations wearing these second-hand sneakers or her school uniform shoes. He rarely saw her with other pairs. Did she have any others, Naru wondered. If so, Yasuhara seemed better off, judging by the multiple pairs of decent shoes on the shoe rack near the entrance.

His own shoes were, well, black. Naru bought – or rather, Luella bought him several new pairs of shoes in England right before he returned to Japan. He had outgrown his old ones, but he didn’t noticed until Luella pointed out the black nails of his big toes. The bruises had appeared just after the case in Nagano and finding Gene’s body. Luella had dragged him (and Martin for some reason) to the nearest shoe store, and had him fitted. Naru did not protest. If it took their minds off Gene's funeral, then the better.

Seeing Mai’s sneakers made Naru wonder if Mai took care of herself. 

He ran a hand through his hair.

No, he was in no position to worry over something like this. He was her boss, but he wasn’t her parent, and he wasn’t her – A dull noise came from the living room. 

Naru tilted his head up. 

Mai stood stock-still in the middle of the hallway. 

“Mai?” 

She didn’t respond. Instead, she slowly shuffled into the direction of the living room.

Something had caught her attention. 

He walked over and stopped right behind Mai who stood in the doorway.

“Sorry, I bumped into these by accident.”

A stack of books had toppled from the low table at the centre.

“Late study session last night. Forgot to clean up after.” Yasuhara picked up the books and shoved them into the bookcase near the bedroom. He squinted at Naru and Mai in the doorway. His glasses had disappeared. “Would you like a drink? Tea? Coffee?” 

“Tea,” Naru replied. “Your glasses–”

“I dropped them by accident. Could you find them for me? Then I’ll make some–“ He turned around and bumped his leg against the table again. “Ow!” 

Yasuhara apologized again and limped into the small kitchen.

Naru looked down at the girl. 

“Tea or coffee?” 

“Oh, yes. Taniyama-san? What about you?” Yasuhara said, scratching the back of his head. He seemed unusually nervous. Naru shifted his gaze to Mai, who seemed no better by the look of her tense shoulders.

 _This_ was going to be troublesome, Naru thought. Mai had seemed off during the dinner, but it didn’t seem too bad. It wouldn’t the first time she spaced out. Unless on a case, Mai usually did that when she was tired. Naru was tired as well. He couldn’t wait for a well-deserved massage. 

Impatient, Naru poked her shoulder blade. 

“Mai. He asked you something.” 

Mai spluttered. “Oh, uh. Tea, please!” 

Naru heaved a sigh and strode past her into the small living space. He picked Yasuhara’s glasses up from the floor.

“Okay, the water is boiling,” Yasuhara said, re-entering the living room. Naru handed his glasses over. “Thanks, boss.”

Naru shrugged. “You’re welcome.”

Yasuhara put the glasses back on his nose, then slid open the door to the bedroom. 

“We can roll out an extra futon, but I don’t have the space for another one,” he said, opening a closet. “Well, if I had another one.” 

Naru stared at Mai’s profile. Her face had frozen into a strange expression.

It was only then he realized the implication. 

He hadn’t given much thought to staying over with Yasuhara and Mai in one room. All three of them were used to spending nights in the same spaces during investigations. They were colleagues, and that included Mai. Naturally, he hadn’t thought this situation through beforehand. 

Naru cleared his throat. 

“…Are you okay with this?”

Mai turned to look at him. 

“What?” 

“Staying the night.” 

“Uh yeah, I don’t mind. It’s not like we haven’t slept in the same room before.” 

She laughed nervously. 

“Those were…” He looked at Yasuhara. “…different situations.” 

Yasuhara nodded.

“Shibuya-san is right,” he said. “Now it’s just the three of us. With no Takigawa-san and Matsuzaki-san helicoptering over you.” 

“Y-yeah. I guess so?” Mai stared down at the tatami mats. “But it’s still three people. Not two. …If you know what I mean?” 

Her ears were fiery red from where he could see. 

Naru frowned. Did he just make it worse? He looked at Yasuhara for more input.

“Well…” Yasuhara’s face froze into an awkward expression. “I know that, but–” 

_Useless._

Naru lifted his hand and slapped Mai’s back. 

She turned with a glare. “Hey! What was that for?” 

Naru smirked. As expected, it took Mai out of her stupor. 

Yasuhara breathed a sigh of relief. 

“I’ll get the tea,” Naru said, turning around.

He walked into the kitchen and reached into a pantry for the cups. After returning with three steaming cups of tea on a tray, Mai stared at him with wide eyes and a gaping mouth. Yasuhara placed the cups on the table.

“…I feel like a guest here,” she said. “The roles are reversed.” 

“Oh.” Yasuhara gave her a meaningful look. “There’s more where that comes from.”

Mai shot her boss a confused look. Naru shrugged. He wasn’t going to explain that.

In the following minutes both Mai and Yasuhara behaved strangely.

Their dialogue was filled with awkward pauses and strange turns in topics (“I’m sorry for the mess.” “It’s not at all messy!” “Really?” “It’s a nice room. I like the… _airco_.” “Yes... Airco’s are amazing. I simply can’t live without them. My landlord said this one’s spanking brand-new.” “…I wish I had a proper airco. My airco died last week.” “Oh my… I’m sorry for your loss.”), in which Naru did not care to partake.

His eyes began to droop. 

“Massage,” he prompted after finishing his tea. 

The other two nodded and downed the remainder of their teas at once. Yasuhara went on to push the small table out of the way, and Mai helped him with rolling out an extra futon.

“So, who goes first?” Mai said. 

Naru stood up. “Yasuhara-san.” 

“Alright.” 

Yasuhara grabbed the underside of his shirt and proceeded to pull it off. 

“Don’t!” 

They turned to look at her.

Mai had crossed her hands in front of her distinctly red face. Her eyes were shut tight. 

Yasuhara blinked. “Pardon?” 

“Can’t you… leave your shirt on?”

“Uh.”

“Please?” she begged.

Naru tilted his head.

“…Yasuhara-san said it feels better without clothing.” 

“T-that’s not the point here…”

He frowned.

“Then what’s the problem?”

“I think, I might… pass out or something.” 

Yasuhara and Naru exchanged confused glances with each other. What was she talking about? 

“I mean… I don’t know how to put it, but…” Mai took a deep breath. “This is my first time seeing you guys half-naked!” 

After a short silence, Yasuhara dramatically sighed, letting go of his shirt. 

“…It defeats the point of buying massage oil. All that effort for nothing.” 

Naru shrugged. “I still don’t see the problem, Mai.” 

Mai groaned, lowering her hands. 

“Guys! Give me a break, please!”

Yasuhara clapped his hands to gain their attention. 

“Okay, I think I understand. I’ll keep it on.” 

Mai sighed. “I’m sorry, and thank you…” 

Naru folded his arms together. Yasuhara had noticed.

“Don’t be sad, boss. I suppose Taniyama-san is not yet ready for our six-packs.” 

“Six-packs?!” 

Mai widened her eyes. 

“I lied, Taniyama-san.” Yasuhara said and smirked. “We don’t have any.”

Naru tapped a finger against his arm.

“Lay down.”

“Yessir!”

Yasuhara took his glasses off and laid down on his stomach.

“Okay,” he said. “Step on me, boss!” 

Naru froze. 

_What?_

“Err. You want Naru to do a foot pressure massage?” Mai said.

“Foot pressure?”

She snorted.

“You enjoy massages, but you don’t know about it? Even I know.”

“Not enough to properly research the techniques, Taniyama-san,” Naru said, ruffling his hair. “In any case, I don’t see the point of stepping on Yasuhara-san.”

Mai shook her head.

“…He wants you to massage him using your feet. Not actually _step_ on him.”

“Hear, hear,” Yasuhara said. “A foot pressure massage is about slowly gliding your feet over muscle tissue rather than walking.”

Naru glared down at him.

“Then don’t say things in such a roundabout way.” 

Yasuhara grinned back. “Well, I wouldn’t _mind_ if you actually stepped on me.”

Naru ignored him and poked Mai’s back. “You go first.” 

“Huh?” 

“You’re the apprentice here.” 

Mai groaned.

“Yes, perhaps Taniyama-san can show the boss how to do it?”

“Um, okay,” she said, and sighed. “Just don’t expect too much from me.”

“I know, I know,” Yasuhara said, then turned to look at Naru. “Shibuya-san, could you keep her upright? I’m afraid she might fall over otherwise...”

He snorted. 

“Safety precautions. I see.” Naru smirked at a frowning Mai. Then he took her by the arm – Mai yelped, “Hey!”

He dragged her in front of Yasuhara’s legs.

“Show me how it’s done.”

Mai looked at his hand on her arm, and sighed in defeat.

“Right.” She placed her right foot atop Yasuhara’s leg. “Here I go.”

She slid her foot against the lower leg. 

Naru observed her. It didn’t seem too difficult.

“Is this okay?”

Yasuhara gave a thumbs-up.

“Totally okay! Please go on.”

“Alright!” A wide smile appeared on Mai’s face. 

She continued to massage his leg, but after a few moments, she paused with a frown. 

“Yasuhara-san. You’re tense.”

Yasuhara turned his head a little. “My leg, you mean?”

“Well, ...yeah.”

Mai moved to Yasuhara’s upper leg and continued there.

“Hmm, that feels good.”

“Really?”

“I can do it for you too.”

Mai’s arm stiffened. Naru looked down at her face. Her cheeks were pink.

“Um, let me think about it,” Mai said and looked up to see Naru staring at her. Her eyes widened. She looked away at once. “Anyway, I think I’m done... It’s your turn.”

Naru let go of her. They moved to Yasuhara’s other leg.

Suddenly, he felt a hand on his arm. Naru froze, then turned around to see Mai smiling at him.

“Safety precautions.”

He pursed his lips, then looked away. Well, at least she seemed more relaxed this time. Naru sighed and put his foot on Yasuhara’s right leg. He didn’t particularly like the idea of using his feet on Yasuhara. But if Yasuhara wanted it then he would give it to him.

He slid his foot against the lower leg, putting a good amount of pressure on it.

Yasuhara’s leg indeed felt tense.

“Whoa.” Yasuhara said, “You’re _great_.”

Mai frowned. “I’m good and he’s great?”

Naru smirked. “Jealous?”

“No.” She heaved a sigh. “But what did you do differently?”

“...It’s a matter of weight and pressure.”

“Yes,” Yasuhara said. “He put more weight against me than you did.”

Mai raised an eyebrow.

“...Is that why you let Naru here? Because he’s… heavier?”

“Well, yes, but not only that.”

“Not only that...?” Mai said, confused.

Naru and Yasuhara exchanged glances.

“I’ll... explain later,” Yasuhara said. 

“Uh okay.”

Naru continued to massage the rest of his leg in silence. He sighed, starting to feel a bit sleepy.

“Anyway, leave my arms for another time,” Yasuhara said. “ Could you massage my back, Shibuya-san?”

Suddenly, Mai pulled at his arm.

“What?”

“Hey. What if you break his ribs?” 

Naru glared at her.

“…I’m not heavy enough for that.”

“Did you forget Yasuhara-san fractured his ribs last summer?” 

He massaged the bridge of his nose. 

“No. I did not.”

How could he forget when he was the one who caused it?

Yasuhara held up a hand. “I’m fine, Taniyama-san. It’s been almost a year. I’ve healed since then.” 

“But it’s too early!”

“No, I’m fine, really.”

“I’ll use my hands,” Naru said. “That should be fine. Right, Mai?”

Mai blinked

“Uh yeah,” she said with some hesitation, and looked down at Yasuhara. “But please tell us if it hurts?”

“Of course,” he said, “But... can I take my shirt off?”

“NO.”

Yasuhara let out a sigh of disappointment. 

In the meanwhile, Naru kneeled next to him and grabbed his shoulders.

“You can sit on me if that’s easier.”

“...”

Naru didn’t know whether he was joking, but it sounded like a tempting offer. He was starting to feel very sleepy, and positioning himself on top of Yasuhara seemed like a good idea. Naru moved – Mai gulped for some reason – and sat down on Yasuhara’s lower back.

He put his hands on Yasuhara’s shoulders. It was indeed a more comfortable position.

While Naru massaged him, Mai sat by their side and watched them intently.

“Taniyama-san, you’re a sadist.”

Yasuhara’s voice was low.

“A sadist? How?”

“....You’re keeping us from having skin-on-skin contact.”

When Mai didn’t reply, Naru turned to look at her – her cheeks were flushed.

“Boss.”

Naru sighed and returned his concentration to the person below him. Yasuhara was staring at him, because he had stopped massaging.

“Go on.”

His eyes beckoned.

Skin-on-skin. Without showing anything.

The solution to that problem was hidden in plain sight.

Naru lowered his hands down to Yasuhara’s hip and slipped them under his shirt. The skin was warm to touch. 

Mai gasped loudly.

“N-Naru!”

“Oh boss, you’re _brilliant_!” Yasuhara yelled out.

Mai stammered. “How could you–”

“You don’t see anything, Mai.”

“I know, but–”

Yasuhara interrupted with a low moan.

“Yasuhara-san. Please, can you not–” she said, covering her own mouth.

He chuckled.

“What do I hear? You don’t like if I whimper _erotically_?”

Mai squeaked.

Naru continued to massage him. The shirt rode up his back, but she didn’t protest anymore. She watched them the entire time. The more time passed, the more her breathing quickened.

He stopped once he deemed it enough. Yasuhara whined in response, but Naru ignored him.

“Mai, it’s your turn.”

When she didn’t react, Yasuhara turned to look at her. “Taniyama-san?

Naru looked as well. Mai’s skin was flushed all over. A hand covered her mouth. She was obviously bothered by something. He tilted his head. Did she feel ill?

Suddenly, Mai scrambled to her feet.

“S-sorry, I need to go to the bathroom first.”

Yasuhara was equally confused.

“Ah, sure.”

She wobbled into the bathroom, barely holding herself upright.

“...Is she okay?”

Naru shrugged. “She’s probably tired. Let her go next.”

“Alright. ...By the way,” Yasuhara got on all fours and whispered: “Why did you tell her that I would explain it?” 

Naru froze. He knew that Yasuhara wouldn’t be pleased at what he said to Mai at the dinner table.

“… Because you’re better at this than me,” he finally replied.

Yasuhara gave him a long look. Dissatisfaction.

“No,” he said. “We should do this together.”

Naru sighed. It did feel wrong to shove the responsibility to Yasuhara, but at the same time it seemed unreasonable to take the lead by showing romantical interest in Mai. Up until now, Mai expressed no interest in him, and he had no desire to make her feel uncomfortable. 

“We’re on board of the same ship. I want us to move together – with Mai,” Yasuhara continued, moving closer into his quarters.

Their foreheads touched. He wasn’t alone in this. They could act together.

“Okay?”

“Yes,” he said with a soft voice.

“Good.”

Naru lifted a finger and put it against Yasuhara’s forehead. 

“And you.”

Yasuhara widened his eyes.

“What?”

A smirk surfaced on his lips.

“Just be yourself. You’re being too nervous.”

Yasuhara laughed a little.

“Alright, I will. But it does help that we’re both on the same page now.”

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> So this ended up becoming a four-parter, which means you’ll have to wait longer for part 4, I mean, enjoy this fic a little longer than expected.


	4. Now Kiss

After finishing her business on the toilet, Mai washed her hands in the sink. She stared at the bathroom mirror. Her hair was mess and she felt clammy all over.

_All because of..._

Mai shut her eyes. She remembered how Naru had watched her, challenging her. How Yasuhara had invited him to touch his skin, with that sultry look in his eyes. Mai had wanted to scream, but nothing but his name had escaped her mouth.

Her legs gave in at the memory. She placed her hands on the sink for support.

Mai inhaled a deep breath.

She didn’t know whether to feel sad or happy. All she knew was that those two, Yasuhara and Naru, looked good together. The sight of Naru sitting on top of Yasuhara, touching his skin like it was nothing.

She trembled. For some reason, seeing them together filled her with...

_No!_

Mai slapped her hands against her cheeks.

_Get your act together, Taniyama!_

She didn’t want to embarrass herself in front of Yasuhara and Naru any further. It had been too obvious that she felt nervous about visiting Yasuhara’s apartment for the first time. Even Naru had noticed.

Mai opened her eyes and frowned at the bathroom mirror.

Come to think of it, Naru appeared very comfortable for someone staying at the home of his crush for the first time. The way he handled himself without much concern made herself look like she had lost her wits. It irritated her.

Mai sighed.

What must Yasuhara think of her...

Why did Yasuhara invite both of them and... who did he like?

It’s not like he liked both of them. Or did he?

Mai couldn’t figure it out. She had so many questions and could not wait until Yasuhara explained it to her. Regardless of the outcome, she wanted to tell Yasuhara about her feelings for him.

Yes, it was time to tell him.

She swallowed.

As soon as possible.

There was a knock on the door.

“Taniyama-san, are you finished?” Yasuhara said. “It’s your turn.”

Mai turned to the bathroom door.

“M-my turn?”

He let out an exasperated sigh.

“Shibuya-san is quite exhausted, but he is still willing to give you a massage.” Yasuhara paused. “...He has given you ten seconds to get out of the bathroom.”

Yasuhara stepped away from the door.

Mai gulped. She wasn’t mentally prepared.

Even so, she pulled herself back together and opened the door.

Naru and Yasuhara stared at her from the open doorway. Their eyes followed her as she slipped back into the bedroom. Yasuhara beamed a dazzling smile that could put a thousand student council president smiles to shame. But Naru’s weary eyes stared daggers into her soul. Had Mai remained more than ten seconds in the bathroom, she would have met a certain death. Either by the growing brilliance of Yasuhara’s smile or Naru’s ever-strengthening death glare.

The cold voice of the latter caused goosebumps on her skin.

“Lie down.”

Mai did as Naru told her. She lied face down on the futon.

The boys stood next to her body.

_Oh no, Naru will step on me._

“Look you don’t need to do a foot pressure massage,” Mai said, quick to act before he could make a move. “Only my back. Please?”

She could hear one of them sigh.

“Good,” Naru said, and continued a disinterested voice. “I wasn’t planning on doing anything more.”

Mai frowned.

The way he said it ticked her off, but he did look tired, so—

_Ignore him. Just, ignore him._

Mai felt a weight on her lower back. She squeaked and turned her head.

Naru _sat_ on her.

“Um, Naru?”

He watched her with an expressionless face.

“What?”

Mai looked away.

“N-never mind.”

Hands took her shoulders and began to knead.

She let out a sigh.

_This... this feels good._

Naru kept going. The tension left her shoulders.

A blissful feeling that she wanted to keep forever.

But where was Yasuhara?

She turned her head to the other side. There he was.

Yasuhara watched them with keen interest and seemed pleased by the sight in front of him.

He took notice of Mai’s stare.

“How do you feel, Taniyama-san?”

“Good.”

“Good?”

“Yes, I hate to say it, but Naru is really good at this.”

For some reason, her answer prompted Yasuhara to move.

“Hmm, I should help you, Shibuya-san.”

Mai watched Yasuhara sit behind Naru, on her butt.

She blushed.

“Yasuhara-san!”

He blinked.

“Are we too heavy?”

“N-n-no, it’s f-fine,” Mai stuttered. “As long as you don’t push your entire weight on me then—”

She stopped speaking; Yasuhara wrapped an arm around Naru’s waist. Naru lifted an eyebrow, but he didn’t remove the arm. Mai couldn’t help but stare with wide eyes.

“Then what?” Yasuhara said.

“Nothing. Just massage me, okay?” Mai said, staring down at the pillow. “And I prefer to keep my shirt intact.”

“Of course!”

Naru continued to massage her, but it didn’t take long before he sighed.

“Yasuhara-san... Stop breathing into my neck. It’s distracting.”

Mai peeked through her bangs. Yasuhara had draped his arm over Naru’s shoulder, a hand on his chest. His mouth was indeed close to his neck. Yasuhara looked up at their boss.

“Then should I stop breathing?”

Naru turned his head sideways to face Yasuhara. They locked gazes with each other. Their faces were in close proximity. The tips of their noses touched.

Mai muffled a gasp.

It seemed like they didn’t notice her watching.

“You could sit elsewhere.” Naru’s voice was low, irresistibly low.

Yasuhara smirked. “But then I can’t help you.”

He moved his hand to the back of Naru’s head and spread his fingers through his hair. They held each other’s gazes with half-lidded eyes, as though the world around them had stopped existing. Their lips... It looked like they could kiss at any moment.

Mai held her breath.

The look in Yasuhara’s eyes melted her, and Naru gave into them as well.

“...Fine.”

Naru turned his head away. Yasuhara’s jaw went slack.

Mai groaned.

_Damn it!_

“Mai?”

“P-please go on,” Mai said. _Please kiss him._

Naru shifted on top of her. “Where do you want to be massaged?”

_No, I didn’t mean it like that!_

“...The lower back, please.”

“Very well.”

Naru shifted his hands down and Yasuhara moved to sit next to the futon.

Mai wanted to scream.

_Naru, you’re an idiot! An idiot! Why don’t you give Yasuhara-san what he wants? Kiss him! Can’t you read the signs? That was the perfect opportunity!_

“Mai, I’m done.”

“Okay,” she said. “Let’s switch.”

Mai pushed herself off the futon and sat down. She turned to gaze at Yasuhara.

He didn’t look disappointed, though he stared at Naru with deep interest.

Suddenly, his eyebrows lifted. His eyes went wide.

“Ohhh!”

Mai followed his gaze. Her jaw dropped.

Naru had pulled his black shirt out of his trousers. His chest was half-exposed.

“Wha- what are you doing?!” Mai said.

His hands stopped moving midway his torso.

Naru lifted an eyebrow.

“I’m stripping.”

He said it in such a casual manner that it sounded like he was doing this every day in front of people.

“B-but why? I thought I told you—”

He took the bottle of oil from the table and threw it at her.

“Wha—!” Mai caught the bottle in her hands.

“It’s a waste not to make use of that oil.”

She gaped.

 _That_ ’s his reason for stripping down in front of them?

Naru continued to unbutton his shirt, revealing more of his pale skin.

_Oh... no._

“Like what you see?”

Naru grinned at her. His dark eyes glimmered, holding her full attention.

Mai didn’t know how to respond.

In a swift motion he took the black shirt off his shoulders.

He was thinner than she’d expected, but there was some muscle—

Then she heard a whistle and a slow clap.

“Sexy~”

Naru shot Yasuhara a glare and threw the shirt at him. It covered Yasuhara’s head.

“Nice,” Yasuhara said, pulling the shirt off. He turned to Mai with a pleased smile. “Shall we?”

“O-okay.”

Naru lied down on the futon.

_Oh no._

“You’re wearing regular rise trousers. I’m afraid the oil might stain them,” Yasuhara said with an amused tone. “Should I pull them down for full coverage?”

Her heart skipped a beat.

_Oh no!_

Naru’s voice was cold as ever.

“No, thank you.”

Mai sighed.

“Disappointed, Taniyama-san?”

She turned to him, her face red.

“No!”

Yasuhara grinned.

Naru’s voice took them out of their moment.

“If you’re going to keep me waiting here, I might as well sleep instead.”

“S-sorry.”

Mai sat down on his lower back. She swallowed hard, staring at his shoulders.

Her mind went blank.

“Should I help?” Yasuhara asked.

“Huh?”

Yasuhara sat behind her. She felt his chest touching her own shoulders.

_Oh yes._

“Can I hold you...” His arms sneaked around her waist. “Like this?”

She couldn’t help a stupid grin from appearing on her face.

“Please.”

“Very well.”

He tightened his arms’ grip on her. Mai revelled in being in Yasuhara’s embrace.

_Oh yes!_

She heard a whisper in her ear.

“You like this, don’t you?”

Mai blushed. “Uhuh.”

A loud sigh interrupted them.

“I’m _waiting_.”

Naru glared at her from below.

She returned a glare.

_Shut up, Naru! Give me a moment._

Yet, Naru seemed unaffected and closed his eyes.

Mai stared at his beautiful bare back.

_Oh no._

She lowered a hand and touched his pale skin. Her hand glided up to his shoulders.

_So smooth._

Naru muttered. “Don’t forget the oil.”

Mai imploded.

“I know that! Give me a moment, okay!”

“I’ve given you plenty of my moments.”

Grumbling, she opened the bottle and put some oil into her hand. After leaving the bottle on the floor, Mai spread the oil on her other hands.

“Here I go.”

She began by kneading his shoulders.

His skin was smooth and warm.

Mai cursed at herself.

_Damn it! I should have massaged Yasuhara-san like this too._

Naru let out a soft groan.

“Hear that? He likes it.”

Mai huffed. “He’d like it better if you did it.”

Yasuhara chuckled.

“That’s not true.”

Mai stopped. Did that mean Yasuhara wasn’t aware that Naru liked him? Then what about that almost-kiss...

She shook her head a little.

“Aren’t you going to help me?”

“But I am helping?”

“You’re just sitting here... and holding me.”

“But you like that, don’t you?”

“Well, I—”

Mai turned and at the same moment, Yasuhara leaned down. They were face-to-face. Their noses touched. Her heart skipped a beat.

“I—” She started again, but no words escaped her mouth. All she could do was gaze back into his half-lidded, dark eyes.

“So tell me—” His voice was uncharacteristically soft and low.

Fingers caressed her chin, guiding her closer to him.

“— what you want.”

Her mind had gone blank. Forgetting everything around her, she moved forward.

Something below her shifted.

Her eyes looked down and caught Naru’s incessant stare.

_Why—_

Without thinking, Mai turned away from Yasuhara, who groaned audibly.

Naru proceeded to give her a look of utter disdain.

_DON’T GIVE ME THAT LOOK!_

“S-sorry, I’ll continue.”

Mai resumed her massage. Less thoroughly than before. Once again, she felt clammy all over.

_Oh god, we almost kissed!_

"You’re using too much oil."

She stopped.

“Um, ...I didn’t? I’ve only used a small amount of oil.”

Naru sighed.

“You’re wetting my back.”

She looked down at her hands.

“Oh my god, I’m so sorry.“

"Oh," Yasuhara said, making his presence known again. "Is it uncomfortable down there, Taniyama-san?"

Mai looked at him and frowned. "What do you mean?"

“Well, we could have a nice long talk. Or we could take care of your problem immediately?” Yasuhara smiled. “Your choice?”

Naru sighed. "...She can wash by herself."

Yasuhara frowned.

"That's not how you properly take care of such a problem!"

Their boss returned a frown. “...What are you talking about?”

“Well, first... consider the nature of the problem.”

Yasuhara nudged his eyebrows in a suggestive manner.

Mai shrieked.

“What! I'm not the only one with a problem! Yasuhara-san is totally guilty as well!"

Naru gave them a blank stare.

Yasuhara looked confused. "...Taniyama-san... I certainly do not have a 'problem'."

"Oh yes, you do?" Mai said. "I can tell because you have your body pressed against me!"

Naru shifted his body around.

“What?”

“Uh…”

"...What kind of problem?" Naru said, looking at Mai.

"Not telling," she said.

He shifted his gaze to Yasuhara.

"I know what you're thinking, boss. But I certainly do not have _that_ kind of problem."

Naru directed his attention to Mai again.

“Is he making you uncomfortable?”

Mai sighed. “I just, I don’t know why it turned out like this— It’s kind of embarrassing to say something about it.”

Naru stared at the person behind her.

“Yasuhara-san?”

Yasuhara looked even more confused.

“Well, you’re wet. Right, Taniyama-san? You got turned because you’re sandwiched between two handsome guys—”

"W-what do you mean 'wet'?! I'm just feeling sweaty, that's all!"

Yasuhara blinked.

"Huh?"

"Her _hands_ are wet, Yasuhara-san," Naru explained.

Yasuhara’s jaw dropped.

“Oh.”

"What were you even thinking, you pervert! I wasn't going to say anything about that problem of yours, but, but—” Mai inhaled deeply, and yelled. “YOUR ARMPITS STINK!"

She got up from Naru’s back, then took clothes out of her bag.

Before heading into the bathroom, she took a good look at the other two. All the blood had drained out of Yasuhara’s face. No words came out of his mouth. It looked like he regretted what he said. She felt a pang of guilt for reacting in such a manner, but before she could feel the guilt deepen, Mai turned around.

“I, I’m going to take a shower,” she announced in a softer tone. “I’ll talk to you later.”

Yasuhara dropped down next to Naru, shell-shocked.

Naru scratched the back of his head, and sighed. He walked up to the bathroom and stood in front of the doorway.

“It’s a misunderstanding,” he said. “I should have made it clear from the start.”

Mai stared at him.

“Naru...”

“I’m sorry.”

Mai was not sure how to respond, so she nodded.

He took this as a cue to leave.

Mai sighed and closed the door. She wanted to take her towel and hang it over—

_Oh crap._

She opened the door again.

“Naru?”

He turned around.

“Yes?”

Mai expressed an awkward smile.

“...I forgot to bring a towel. Could you ask Yasuhara-san for one, please?”

Naru stared at Yasuhara, still laying shell-shocked on the futon.

He sighed and returned to her.

“There are towels in the closet next to the wash basin,” he said. “I don’t think Yasuhara-san will mind if you use one or two.”

“Eh?”

Naru pointed into the direction of the closet.

“There.”

Mai opened the closet. Indeed, it was full of white towels.

“...You’ve been here before?”

Naru showed a small smile.

“Take a shower. We’ll talk later.”

* * *

Naru sat down on the other futon.

“That’s your weak point. Your mind wanders everywhere.”

Yasuhara groaned into the pillow.

“I… I messed up. I got too confident.”

“It will be fine. Her anger doesn’t last long.”

“You don’t know that.”

“It was a misunderstanding.”

“I know,” Yasuhara said. “Still… I went too far. I should apologize.”

“Of course,” Naru said.

“What if she continues to hate me?”

“Your mind really wanders everywhere...”

“I can be as negative as I am positive.”

Yasuhara felt a hand going through his hair.

“I wish you’d do that more often,” he muttered.

Naru smirked. “Maybe I will.”

After five long minutes, the sound of falling water stopped. Fortunately, she didn’t take too long. Yasuhara sat up and waited until Mai stepped outside the bathroom. Mai was wearing an oversized, yellow pyjama top and a black bottom.

She looked adorable.

“Um, thanks for the towel.” Mai smiled awkwardly and put the item into the laundry basket in the hallway. “I’ll leave it here, okay?”

“It’s no... problem, and sure,” Yasuhara muttered absent-mindedly.

It looked like her anger had dissipated, but he didn’t want to take any chances.

Yasuhara kneeled and bowed deeply on the futon.

"I am very sorry for making you flustered."

Mai sputtered. “Honestly, you don’t need to bow like that!”

Yasuhara kept his head low despite her protest.

“I misjudged the situation. I did not mean to make you uncomfortable."

"It's okay! It was misunderstanding," Mai said. “It can happen to the best of us!”

Yasuhara lifted his head and found Mai smiling warmly at him.

“Yes, even you, Yasuhara-san.”

A smile reappeared on his face.

“Well then,” he said, “I hope we can still get along from now on.”

“O-of course!”

Yasuhara sat up again and breathed a sigh of relief.

“...I’m also sorry for lashing out like that,” Mai said. “It was a mean thing to say.”

He laughed.

“I deserved that one! It’s fine, I’ll take a shower soon,” Yasuhara said, “but first, Shibuya-san?”

Mai sat down in front of them.

“You probably have something to ask us,” Naru said.

She nodded.

“You’ve been here before.”

“A few times.”

“So Naru, you and Yasuhara-san—”

“We’re in a relationship.”

Mai took a moment to process this.

“Since... when?”

“Since the beginning of this year.”

“That long!” Her eyes became as big as saucers. “No no, wait. If you’re in a relationship, then why am I here?!”

“Because we want you here,” Naru said.

She nearly fell over.

“B-both of you?” Mai looked at Yasuhara, who nodded.

“Yes,” Naru replied.

Mai blinked, confused.

“Huh? But I thought you...”

He turned to look at Yasuhara, who nodded again, then Naru sighed and directed his attention to Mai again.

With a neutral expression he spoke, staring directly into her eyes.

“Mai, I like you.”

For a moment, her face went blank.

“W-what?”

“I’m not going to repeat myself, Mai.”

It took a very long moment to process that information.

“But when? How?”

Naru sighed. “It must have been around the time of the Yuasa high school case. I didn’t realize it at first though.”

“But then I... but then in Nagano, what I said to you was—”

“Yes.”

_“Which would you choose?”_

_“The one with a good personality.”_

Mai pressed her hand against her mouth.

“I don’t hold it against you, Mai.”

She shook her head.

“No... I was so insensitive back then.”

“You didn’t know about my... feelings. Don’t blame yourself.”

Mai started to tear up. She wiped them away, but more tears continued to fall.

They stopped speaking. The atmosphere in the room was gloomy.

Yasuhara took this moment to hand her a box of tissues.

“T-thank you.”

She blew her nose with a tissue.

Naru bit his lower lip.

“...Say something, Mai.”

She nodded.

“I think... I think I’ve gotten over Eugene, but I feel... When it comes to you, I need more—”

“Time?”

Mai tightened her fists on her lap. “But I want to get to know you better, Naru. The real you.”

He inclined his head. “Even more than now?”

“...Yes.”

Naru thought about it for a moment, then nodded.

“I’m fine with that.”

Mai sniffed.

“Thank you...”

Yasuhara held up a hand.

“Wait, is this really okay?”

“Huh?”

“This sounds too much like a ‘to be continued!’ at the end of an episode,” Yasuhara said. “I mean, it’s obvious you’re attracted to him. Am I wrong?”

Mai blushed. “Um, no you’re right about that.”

“But your feelings are still complicated?”

“Yeah. Sorry about it.”

“No need to apologize. Take your time to sort out your feelings,” Yasuhara said, then quietly added, “Seriously, I am rooting for you guys...”

Mai tilted her head. “You’re rooting for us, Yasuhara-san? Why”

“Well, I think you two make a good match! It’s great to see two people I like very much come together, you know?” Yasuhara-san said. “And I wouldn’t mind dating either of you, but both... I’m fine with that too.”

“Really?”

“Yes, because... I like you,” Yasuhara said. “I like both you and Naru.”

Mai widened her eyes.

He blinked. “Taniyama-san?”

“You just called him... Naru.”

Yasuhara’s face fell.

Naru chuckled. “It took him a while to say my name.”

Yasuhara sighed dramatically.

“I just confessed and this is how you two react?”

Mai grabbed his hand.

“I like, I like you too, Yasuhara-san!”

Yasuhara looked down. A blush crept up to his cheeks.

Without thinking he scratched the side of his head with his other hand.

“...Taniyama-san, do you now understand why I invited both of you?”

“...Yes.”

“But are you really okay with this?"

“I…” Mai paused. “It’s a bit early to tell but I also like when you two are together. I think I understand how you feel, from what I’ve seen today... and now. It makes me happy too.”

Yasuhara flashed a big smile.

“You get it, Taniyama-san! See it as a package deal! Two for the price of one.”

“You’re... human beings.” Mai deadpanned. “Not bananas on sale.”

Yasuhara smirked.

“Well, I don’t mind being your banana.”

Mai narrowed her eyes at him in suspicion.

“I thought you decided to stop being inappropriate.”

“Well, we just confessed to each other, so I thought—”

“Yasuhara-san,” Naru interrupted. “Can we save this conversation for another time?”

They laughed awkwardly. He looked _very_ tired.

“So, Taniyama-san. Back on-topic because the boss wants his beauty sleep,” Yasuhara said, “Do you want the three of us to be together?”

“Didn’t I just say that?”

“No, only that seeing Naru and me together made you happy.”

Mai looked down at her hands.

“Yes, I want to be with both of you. And I want both of you to be happy.”

Yasuhara smiled. “There’s your answer, Taniyama-san. It doesn’t have to be complicated to love someone. It’s as simple as wanting to be with them. Right, Naru?”

Naru nodded.

“But are you really okay with this?” Mai asked Naru.

“About what?”

“That we’ll be... sharing Yasuhara-san?” Mai said. “Am I not going to be... in your way?”

He chuckled lightly.

“Oh, don’t worry, Taniyama-san,” Naru said. “I’ll _let_ you have him.”

Mai frowned.

“The way you said that… kind of pisses me off.”

Naru smirked.

“But you like that about me, don’t you?”

Mai intensified her glare. “Yasuhara-san... did you teach him to say things like that?”

She turned to Yasuhara, who had a huge grin on his face.

“You...”

“Oh, he did it all on his own,” Yasuhara said. “By the way, you’re so charming when you look angry.”

He winked.

Mai grumbled, blushing. “Seriously, you two are too much for me...”

Naru rose up from the futon.

“I’m going to take a shower.”

Yasuhara stood up and followed him.

“Me too. Stinky armpits, be gone!”

The boys started collecting their clothes and towels.

Mai’s jaw dropped.

“Eh?”

Yasuhara smiled.

“Oh, we’ll be back soon. We won’t leave you alone for too long,” he said, adding another wink.

Then they disappeared into the bathroom together.

Mai hunched over on the futon. She blushed hard.

“Can I get used to this?”

* * *

Naru groaned and opened his eyes in the dark bedroom. It was still deep in the night. He couldn’t breath properly; there was an uncomfortable weight on his chest. His hand reached to remove it, but — it was fluffy, and hairy. Then a movement of beside him alerted Naru of something else. He turned his head to see Yasuhara’s figure squirming right next to him.

“Ugh...” Yasuhara opened an eye.

They looked at each other for a moment, then stared at the empty space between them.

“Where...”

Yasuhara sat upright at once and removed the blanket.

Naru stared down at the sleeping head on his chest.

“It seems that we need three futons,” Yasuhara whispered, “I had forgotten she was a bed hog.”

He removed the blanket over himself and found Mai’s legs draped over his knee.

“You got lucky, Boss.”

Naru groaned. “...I want to sleep.”

Yasuhara poked Mai’s cheek.

“Taniyama-san, Taniyama-san,” he whispered. “Wakey, wakey.”

“Why don’t you just call her Mai...” Naru muttered.

Yasuhara sighed. “It’s not that easy for me. You know that.”

Even after making various attempts at waking her, Mai slept and even snored without noticing a thing. Yasuhara decided to roll Mai over to his side of the futon, relieving Naru from the head on his chest.

“Thank you.”

“No problem. If she starts to move again, she won’t bother you again at least. Hmm, it’s almost five in the morning. Try to catch more sleep, you looked incredibly tired last night.”

Naru closed his eyes. “Yeah...”

“By the way...”

Naru waited.

“Thank you. You really helped me out there.”

“You’re welcome.”

* * *

Naru and Mai stepped through the door of Yasuhara’s apartment.

“You’re welcome to stay over at any time~ Just text me or give me a ring.”

“Sure!”

Yasuhara made a light bow.

“Well then, I’ll see you two at the office.”

Mai was about to step into the direction of the exit, but suddenly remembered an important detail.

“Hey, wait a minute. Aren’t we forgetting something?”

Naru frowned. “Now that you mention it...”

They turned to look at Yasuhara who stood in the doorway, waiting for them to leave.

There was an innocent look on his face.

“Yasuhara-san, you didn’t give either of us a massage at all.”

Yasuhara smiled primly, stepped back into his apartment and began to close the door.

“Goodbye.”

The door clicked shut.

Mai growled. “Damn, he’s SO infuriating.”

“...I know.”

“I mean, how do you even deal with him?”

Naru sighed.

“I manage... somehow.”

“Oh, teach me your ways, Big Boss.”

He looked down at her.

“Aren’t you getting ahead of yourself?”

Mai glared. “You have, what? Six months on me. A little help would be appreciated.”

“With what?” Naru smirked. “Kissing? You chickened out at the last moment.”

She sputtered.

“L-look who’s talking! You didn’t even notice when Yasuhara-san tried to—” Mai stopped. “Wait, what. You mean... the two of us?”

He shrugged. “...I don’t think he’d mind if you used me as practice.”

“Indeed, I wouldn’t mind.” They turned to see a gleaming pair of glasses in the door gap. “Now kiss!”

Before Yasuhara could close the door, Naru stretched out his arm, pushing the door to open, and causing Yasuhara to stumble back into the hallway.

“Get him, Mai.”

Mai re-entered at once, then moved forward into his personal space. She planted a kiss on Yasuhara’s lips, which lasted for a few seconds. Mai pulled away from him, leaving Yasuhara stunned.

“Sorry,” she said. Her cheeks flushed. “You’ll have to wait for a kiss between us. Maybe after you give _us_ a massage?”

Mai didn’t wait for a response, but returned to Naru’s side. She gave a small wave before leaving.

“Bye~ See you at the office.”

Naru closed the door with a dark smirk on his face.

Yasuhara fell over on the floor and put a hand against his forehead.

He stared at the ceiling. The feeling of her soft lips still lingered on his own.

“Those two are too much for me...”

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> All things have to come to an end... for now. I hope you enjoyed this little story. I enjoyed writing this one too, despite some difficulties. As I said before, I want to turn this into a one shot collection, but at the moment I would like to concentrate on my other ongoing fics, which you can see in my profile.
> 
> Thanks for reading and please don’t hesitate to leave a review! ;-)


End file.
